Method for removing sulfur oxides

ABSTRACT

Gas reacting apparatus and method are described for wet mass transfer of solute gases from a gas stream with a liquid or slurry reacting medium capable of chemisorption of solute gases in the gas stream. The apparatus comprises an elongated conduit defining a primary reaction zone in fluid-flow communication with a fan defining both a secondary reaction zone and a spray coalescence zone, and plurality of dual fluid sprays coaxially spaced in series within the conduit and countercurrently or cocurrently directed to the gas stream for spraying the liquid or slurry reacting medium into said conduit to form a plurality of spray contact zones of uniformly-distributed fine droplets wherein intimate contact of high interfacial surface area between the sprayed liquid or slurry and the gas stream is effected to remove solute gases from the gas stream. The fan is operated at a relatively low speed to promote coalescence of droplets through droplet-droplet collisions followed by collection on the fan blades with liquid or slurry layers which, under the action of centrifugal forces, are separated in the form of an attendant annular spray zone of relatively large droplets to trap more of the solute gases. The droplets upon impingement on the fan casing are collected and removed by gravity.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 438,047 filed Nov. 20, 1989 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,064); which itself is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 243,720 filed Sep. 13, 1988 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,329), which itself is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 020,953 filed Mar. 2, 1987 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,817).

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to gas/liquid, gas/liquid/solid and gas/gas/liquid mass transfer, and more particularly to a mechanically-aided gas reacting apparatus and method for mass transferring solute gases from an industrial or utility gas stream into a liquid or slurry reacting medium, if necessary in conjunction with simultaneous particulate matter removal, wherein the mass transfer may be a purely physical phenomenon or may involve solution of the solute gas in a liquid or a slurry suspension, followed by chemical reaction with one or more constituents in the liquid or slurry reacting medium. This invention also relates to a gas reacting apparatus for effecting gas-gas reactions in fluid flow communication with an integrated wet separation of the resultant reaction products which are in the form of a finely divided particulate matter. While not limited thereto, the invention is particularly well suited for the removal of SO₂ and other gaseous pollutants from waste gas streams such as those emanating from electrical utilities, smelters and industrial boilers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For maximum efficiency, it is desirable to make a gas reacting apparatus wherein a high interfacial surface area coupled with turbulent mixing and long residence time are effected simultaneously and which, as such, is capable of removing both solute gases and particulate matter, either separately or simultaneously with high efficiency, with the former being separated via a gas-liquid, gas-liquid-solid or gas-gas-liquid reaction, depending on the application. To-date, as far as we are aware, there is currently no one type of gas reacting apparatus available that is capable of achieving high performance for all of the above criteria, due to a compromise generally being made between generation of very fine droplets for affecting very high surface area on one hand and long residence time on the other.

One of the methods for separating particulate matter in solid or slurry form from a gas stream wherein a dirty gas stream enters a conduit at one end and is moved through it by a fan at the other end and where a fine spray of liquid, preferably water, is concurrently discharged into such a gas stream upstream from the fan is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,703, issued Jan. 10, 1978, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The patent disclosure, while showing a highly-effective method for removal of particulate matter from a gas stream, does not teach how the apparatus can be used as a gas reacting apparatus for removing solute gases. Also, in many aspects, the technique disclosed therein does not provide the absorbing and reacting environment required for effecting high removal efficiency of solute gases. For example, in the foregoing prior art patent, the mixture of gas and particulate matter enters only a single contact spray zone provided by one nozzle in which an atomized liquid spray is injected cocurrent to the dusty air stream flow. While this mode of operation as disclosed has proven to be highly effective for removing particulate matter and effecting lower pressure drop in the apparatus wherein particles were collected primarily by impaction upon the finely-divided water droplets introduced, followed by further agglomeration and impaction on the fan blades as the gas moves through the device, the residence time available for mass transfer is too short and the effective interfacial surface area and turbulence generated by a single contact spray cocurrently oriented to the gas stream are not sufficient to effect high removal efficiencies of solute gases of relatively low solubility in aqueous solution. It is, therefore, desirable to provide for an improved gas reacting apparatus and method which overcome some of the shortcomings of the foregoing prior art apparatus in which increased available residence time, interfacial surface area and turbulence are generated to result in accelerated absorption and reaction kinetics and intimate gas/liquid contact and thus, in high removal efficiency of both solute gas and particulate matter.

While high interfacial surface area, turbulent mixing and long residence time for effecting accelerated mass transfer of solute gases and effectively separating particulate matter are the major criteria in gas reacting apparatus selection, often a compromise must be made between removal efficiency on one hand and operating reliability on the other. Several other factors then also enter into consideration, such as slurry handling without plugging, turndown, and gas and liquid distribution.

The basic processes for removal of solute gases from gas streams, particularly flue gas desulfurization processes, are based on readily-available, low-cost absorbents in the form of an aqueous slurry, such as a lime or limestone slurry, or a clear aqueous solution, such as caustic or ammoniacal solutions. Various prior art methods are in use to bring the above absorbing and reacting media into intimate contact with the pollutant-laden gas. Packed bed and perforated trays, which are known to be efficient gas absorption and reaction devices, are usually the first choice for designers of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, but experience has shown that they are not completely satisfactory. Both perforated trays which bubble the gas through a thin layer of liquid, and packed beds, which pass the gas over solid packing elements that are wetted with the liquid have many narrow passages which are subject to plugging especially if particulate loads are heavy, or if precipitates are formed during the chemisorption process. Such conditions can be minimized by careful process design, but the possibility of scaling under upset conditions still exists and compromises reliability. Another principal disadvantage of both of the above types of scrubbers is their extremely limited turndown capability.

Consequently, heretofore, the gas reacting devices of preference and the ones that would seem to be the answer have been the venturi or open spray tower wherein the internal complexity is low and yet where a relatively large surface area of the liquid is generated per unit volume of gas treated. While the above devices have evolved considerably over the last decade in a way to improve their performance and to remove some of their shortcomings, the current trend in the design particularly of FGD systems, is away from venturis to spray towers or combination towers. The venturi design, although capable of producing a relatively large liquid surface area for contact with the gas stream, was abandoned largely because the very short liquid/gas contact time (attributable largely to the absorbing medium being introduced cocurrently to the gas stream in the throat of the venturi) results in low sulfur dioxide removal. Also, being a relatively high energy device, it is incapable of producing an evenly distributed regime of droplets at high density unless an `overkill` situation exists wherein excess energy in the form of velocity pressure is added to the gas stream to provide for the required uniform distribution. Spray towers, on the other hand, have few internal components in the gas/liquid contact zone and the use of sprays appears to offer an easy way of increasing the surface area exposed to the gas. However, the sprays are usually introduced at the top of the spray tower and drop by gravity in counter-current flow to the gas stream. To avoid being entrained in the gas stream, the normal size of the droplets sprayed is in the order of 1000 to 2500 microns in diameter. Thus, to increase the surface area exposed to the gas phase and residence time, very high liquid to gas (L/G) ratio and large towers must be employed, all of which substantially increase the capital and annual cost requirement. To effect good gas distribution, a large number of spray nozzles must be used, so that the tower cross-section is uniformly covered with the spray pattern. However, failure of one or two nozzles usually creates a path of least resistance through which the gas can flow, thereby reducing the efficiency of the apparatus.

In addition, the large size of droplets used in spray towers reduces substantially the capability of the apparatus to efficiently remove dust particles in the low particle size range, typically less than 3 microns. With the larger droplets, the decreased gas-liquid surface area can be compensated for by increasing the tower size, the number of spray headers, and circulation rates of the scrubbing liquor, all of which increase the tower space requirement, thereby initial cost and energy consumption. Droplet entrainment and mist elimination, while rather effectively being addressed by the production of larger droplets, can still be the "Achilles heel" of spray tower operation, because it is the only part of the operation where gas flow must be somewhat restricted. These limitations and the fact that the spray and venturi apparatus each offers advantages not shared by both, have given rise to the development of combination gas reacting devices. These combination arrangements generally combine the features of venturi and spray apparatus into one module. These recent designs offer greater performance, allowing high removal efficiency of both gaseous pollutants such as SO₂ and particulate matter such as fly ash, but at a very high cost. It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved gas reacting apparatus which combines all of the advantages offered by venturis and spray towers into one apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problems and disadvantages associated with prior art systems are overcome by the present invention by providing a gas-reacting apparatus and a method which is simple, economical and capable not only of providing good turndown and gas-liquid distribution, but also capable, on the one hand, of generating high turbulence and many fine droplets of an aggregate surface area many times larger than produced in a spray tower of considerably larger size and, on the other hand, of providing for a longer available residence time and higher surface area than in a venturi, thereby effecting high removal efficiency of both solute gases and fine particulate matter and yet operating the apparatus with substantially decreased amounts of liquid, low energy and space requirements. It has been shown that the amount of liquid used by the improved gas reacting apparatus is only about 10% of that required by a suitable spray tower and only about 2% of that required by the venturi with comparable efficiency.

According to the invention, a gas stream containing solute gases or both solute gases and particulate matter is passed through a conduit and contacted while flowing through the conduit by at least two sprays of liquid or slurry, preferably injected countercurrent to the gas stream.

In the conduit, the liquid or slurry absorbing-reacting medium is finely atomized by nonplugging, dual-fluid nozzles, which are preferably centrally disposed and spaced in series in the conduit to form two or more contact spray zones, and adapted to spray droplets in the range about 5 to about 100 microns, more usually about 5 to 30 microns. By spraying such liquids or slurries into a suitable reaction chamber, a tremendous number of droplets are generated along with very high surface area. For example, if only 5 micron droplets are generated, each kilogram of water yields about 1.5×10¹³ droplets which have a surface area of about 1200 square meters. On the other hand, in a traditional system, if only 1000 micron droplets are generated, each kilogram of water yields about 1.9×10⁶ droplet which have a surface area of about 6 square meters. These surface area figures as shown above are by an order of magnitude greater than generated by the commercially-available devices presently used for this service. Since the mass transfer that a given dispersion can produce is often proportional to (1/D)², fine droplets are greatly favoured.

Upon intimate contact of the solute gas and particulate matter with the sprayed absorbing-reacting medium, transfer of the solute gas and particulate matter from the gas stream to the absorbing-reacting medium takes place. The removal of the solute gases so effected may be a purely physical phenomenon or may involve solution of the solute gas in a liquid or a slurry suspension, followed by chemical reaction with one or more constituents in the liquid or the slurry medium, to form a soluble by-product or a solid reaction by-product. The resultant liquid or slurry-laden gas stream is subsequently drawn into a slowly-turning fan that provides turbulent mixing and additional residence time plus an environment for continued absorption and reaction, and for efficient coalesence or agglomeration of the entrained, sprayed liquid or slurry and its subsequent removal from the system by a simple gravity drain in the fan casing. An entrainment separator is located downstream from the fan to complete the removal of agglomerated liquid phase (including slurries) from the system.

The apparatus of the invention may also include means for quenching and cooling a hot gas stream, such as that eminating from electric utilities or smelters, with an aqueous solution (water, or other liquids) prior to the removal of the solute gases.

The apparatus of the invention may also include an effluent hold tank for closed loop recycling of the absorbing-reacting medium and its regeneration with fresh make up feed, plus a pumping means to introduce the absorbing-reacting medium into the spray nozzles at the appropriate pressure.

Overall, what has been developed is an improved gas-reacting apparatus in which accelerated absorption and reaction of solute gases in an absorbing/reacting medium can be effected due to the large surface area, intimate contact, relatively long residence time, and turbulent mixing prevailing therein, thereby overcoming the problem of the prior art, as discussed above.

While the invention will be described further, particularly with reference to the removal of solute gases, either by absorption or absorption accompanied by chemical reactions, it is to be understood that the invention is also useful in the conduct of gas-gas reactions and subsequent wet separation of the resulting reaction product, in the removal of particulate matter, in the humidification of gases and in reaching a thermal equilibrium between a gas and a liquid.

In a preferred embodiment, the absorption, with or without accompanied reactions, is conducted in the improved gas reacting apparatus wherein the unexhausted reacting medium and the reaction products are agglomerated and thereby removed from the gas reacting apparatus as a coherent liquid or slurry mass, depending on the reacting system selected. In most instances the resulting slurry can be recirculated until some optimal concentration is reached, at which point a bleed stream can be removed for further treatment to recover product or for regeneration and recycling purposes, while fresh makeup feed is introduced into the system prior to recirculation.

In another embodiment, a gas stream containing solute gases and a gas reacting medium are introduced into dual fluid mixing nozzles of the type described herein having a pair of inlets, one for each incoming gas stream, and a common outlet. The confluence of the two streams in the nozzle creates turbulence which causes the two gas streams to intimately mix and react substantially instantaneously with each other thereby to produce reaction products which are in the form of a gas solute or finely divided solids. Wet separation of the above resultant reaction products is subsequently carried out as taught by the above preferred case.

One important feature of the improved gas-reacting apparatus resides in its ability to remove both solute gases and particulate matter simultaneously with high efficiency, due to the large effective interfacial surface area and the excessively large number of droplets introduced to the system, coupled with turbulent mixing and sufficient residence time that can be effected therein. Still another significant advantage of the improved gas reacting apparatus, particularly in comparison with the venturis of the prior art, is its ability to accommodate a very high turndown ratio through a simple adjustment of the gas-side pressure drop across the spray nozzles or the amount of liquid sprayed or both simultaneously. Yet another advantage is an ability to provide spray zones of uniform density and, therefore, to yield even gas distribution due to the nozzles being coaxially spaced apart in series within the conduit. The spray zones completely cover the cross sectional area of the conduit and yet without overlapping one another, thereby providing good gas and liquid distribution even under upset conditions associated with a nozzle failure. This is preferably achieved with a unique dual fluid, atomizing spray nozzle design of the type depicted in the drawings described below that has more precise gas-liquid mixture control and allows for the flexibility required to control size and number of droplets necessary for efficient removal of solute gases. The dual fluid spray nozzles generally operate at about 20 to about 100 psi, usually at about 20 to about 70 psi, preferably about 25 to about 55 psi. The cumulative results of the above-described advantages is a gas reacting apparatus which is more economical, more efficient, more compact and easier to handle than any other more conventional device. Also, being a relatively small piece of equipment, it can be custom fitted/retrofitted or configured to meet various specific site requirements.

These and other characteristic features and advantages of the invention disclosed herein will become apparent and more clearly understood from the further description given in detail hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings which form a part thereof.

In one preferred embodiment, a contact chamber is provided located ahead of the scrubber for the removal mainly of particulates from the incoming gas stream and is useful, not only in the treatment of gas streams containing solute gases which contain particulates but also particulate-contaminated gas streams which do not contain such solute gases.

In such chamber, the entrance and exit are located on opposite sides of a vertically-located baffle extending normal to the gas flow. Such an arrangement causes the incoming particulate-laden gas stream to impinge on the baffle and then to pass under it to reach the exit. The performance of the contact chamber is significantly enhanced by the introduction of spray nozzles of the type described above for removal of solute gases from the gas stream upstream of the fan, one located to spray cocurrently with the gas stream flow and the other located to spray countercurrently to the gas streams.

The nozzles usually are located in the entrance and exit respectively of the chamber and impinge on the baffle and preferably are arranged so that the sprays also substantially fill the inlet and outlet ducts and the entrance of the gas stream to and the exit of the gas stream from the contact chamber. The dynamic action of these fine sprays on the particulate-laden gas stream combined with the structure of the contact chamber results in removal of significant quantities of particulate from the gas stream, often up to 90% or more, regardless of the particle size.

The gas stream passing from the contact chamber is significantly depleted with respect to particulate content, enabling very high overall efficiencies, generally in excess of 98%, of particulate removal to be effected.

The contact chamber also provides the additional residence time often required to achieve more than about 99% removal of certain acidic gases, notably SO_(x) and NO_(x), from the gas stream via the presence of suitable reactants contained in the liquid sprayed into the contact chamber, whether particulate materials are present in the gas stream or not.

In addition, the contact chamber serves to provide quenching of hot gas streams to the adiabatic dew point of the gas stream.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a gas reacting apparatus and its accessories having two separate single spray contact zones constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic sectional illustration of a preferred dual-fluid nozzle (Turbotak Caldyn type) used in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a portion of the conduit shown in FIG. 1 illustraing a cluster nozzle incorporated into one contact spray zone and includes a sectional view taken on line C--C;

FIG. 4 is a perspective schematic view of the gas reacting apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective schematic view of an alternative fan arrangement used with the apparatus of FIG. 1 and having a common exhaust outlet for both gas and coalesced liquid;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the application of the present invention to a typical coal or oil-fired boiler exhaust gas stream for the removal of gaseous pollutants and fly ash;

FIG. 7 is a perspective, schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of a gas reacting apparatus of the invention illustrating a double-loop approach to absorption of solute gases with low reacting medium; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a preferred form of a contact chamber for gas quenching and particulate removal, as well as to provide excellent contact for acidic or other gas removal; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of an alternative form of gas contact chamber for use in environments where space constraints do not permit normal horizontal flow.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, the gas reacting apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises in combination an elongated housing 12 defining a primary reaction zone and a fan 30 defining a post-reaction and coalescence zone.

The elongated housing 12 comprises a relatively straight conduit, preferably of circular cross-section, having an inlet 60 for introduction of gas stream containing solute gases alone or in combination with particulate matter and an outlet 62 at the other end for the entry of the resultant liquid or slurry-laden gas stream into the slowly turning fan 30. The conduit 12 may be positioned in any orientation with respect to the ground level. However, the generally-horizontal position or an orientation in which the conduit is positioned at a slight angle with respect to the ground level to permit gravitational flow through the conduit, are preferred.

Within the conduit 12 are positioned a number of atomizing spray nozzle means 14 for discharging liquid or slurry sprays countercurrent as illustrated (or cocurrent, if desired) to the gas stream flowing through the duct 12. The atomizing spray nozzle means 14 provide a very fine spray and are capable of delivering droplets in virtually any size distribution or quantity required. Typically, the range of about 5 to about 30 microns liquid droplets is preferred. By spraying liquid or slurry in the above droplet size range into the conduit 12 a tremendous number of droplets having a very large interfacial mass transfer area is produced. For example, if only 5 micron droplets are generated, each kilogram of liquid will yield about 1.5×10 droplets which have a surface area of about 120 square meters. These figures are orders of magnitude greater than generated by any other known contacting device.

In the preferred form as illustrated, liquid or slurry atomizing spray nozzle means 14 comprises dual fluid nozzles each capable of producing the above droplet size distribution. However, a Turbotak Caldyn dual-fluid nozzle (shown in FIG. 2) utilizing gas, i.e. air, steam, etc., to impart the energy required to atomize a liquid is very suitable for this purpose, particularly when using a slurry as a reacting medium. One of the features of the Turbotak Caldyn nozzle of the type shown in FIG. 2 is that erosion is virtually non-existent. This results because the liquid flow or the slurry flow is thought to be contained in an envelope of gas as it passes through the orifice of the device.

For maximum turbulent mixing and gas-liquid contact time, the scrubbing liquid or slurry preferably should be introduced at a sufficient nozzle pressure and velocity countercurrently to the gas stream to be scrubbed to form the desired spray pattern needed to cover substantially all of the cross-sectional area of the interior of the conduit 12 within a reasonable distance, e.g. 5 feet from the nozzle. The geometry of the spray issuing from the nozzles 14 and the exact orientation of the nozzles 14 with respect to the conduit 12, apart from being coaxially spaced, are not critical. However, for a circular conduit 12, nozzles 14 producing a conically-shaped spray pattern, preferably with a spray angle flow 15° to 90°, is the most advantageous to give adequate coverage of the conduit cross-section. To effect maximum hold-up of liquid and gas/liquid contact time, countercurrent flow is used and the atomizing gas pressure preferably should be high enough to impart to the liquid droplets sufficient force to overcome the velocity of the incoming main gas stream, so that no reversal of the sprayed liquid by the high velocity incoming gas stream can occur until a fully developed, conically-shaped spray pattern, with its extremity touching the conduit wall surface, is established, at which point the sprayed liquid is turned back by the incoming gas stream and becomes suspended therein. In this way, if all the energy expended in the sprayed liquid is transferred to the main gas with minimum loss to the conduit wall, a very high degree of turbulence results as the liquid and gas moving in opposite direction come together and the liquid is forced to reverse direction. This high degree of turbulence and increased liquid hold-up and liquid/gas contact time provides extremely efficient contact between liquid and gases to yield a very effective and accelerated mass transfer of solute gases to the absorbing/reacting medium.

The rate of the flow and pressure of air through the nozzle and thus the degree of atomization is controlled by a pressure reducing valve 22 connected by conduits 20 to the nozzles 14. Gas pressures in the range of about 20 to about 60 psi, preferably about 25 to about 50, is supplied to the nozzle by a conduit connected to a gas pressure source 23 through a gas regulator (pressure reducing valve) 22. Under such atomizing pressure conditions and a liquid usage of from about 0.25 to 1.0 US gallon per 1000 acf (actual cubic feet) of gas treated, the Turbotak Caldyn dual fluid nozzle has been shown to be capable of generating liquid droplet sizes in the range of about 5 to about 100 microns with the majority of droplets having a size of about 5 to 30 microns.

For improved mass transfer operation, there may be a number of atomizing spray nozzles 14 employed within the conduit 12. The nozzles 14 are centrally disposed, countercurrently or cocurrently oriented to the gas flow, axially-spaced apart in series in the conduit and adapted to spray droplets primarily in the size range from about 5 to 30 microns, thereby creating a number of well back-mixed zones in the conduit 12. Such orientation of the nozzles results in very high turbulent mixing and high interfacial surface area for mass transfer. While, depending on the atomizing pressure employed, the spray nozzles preferably should be positioned and spaced apart in series in the conduit, so that the conically emerging spray patterns do not substantially overlap each other. Generally, in the above atomizing pressure range proposed, spacing of approximately four to eight feet was found to be adequate.

It has been found that the use of separated, spaced spray nozzles 14 to provide at least two separate gas/liquid contact spray zones in which oppositely moving sprayed liquid and gas come together and the sprayed liquid is forced to reverse direction, provides for removal of typically over 99% of the sulfur dioxide and over 99.6% of the particulate matter from a synthetic gas stream when scrubbing with aqueous caustic solution of 0.5M. This high efficiency is accomplished with the use of about 0.5 USG per 1000 acf of gas treated which is only 10% of that required by most scrubbers with comparable efficiency.

An important feature of the scrubber apparatus of the present invention resides is its low energy requirement. The approximately 1 to 5 H.P. expended into the liquid per 1000 acf of gas treated and a gas pressure drop of 0"±W.G. measured across the device are considered to be very low. To accomplish similar removal effects by mechanically increasing the gas flow rate by means of blowers pulling through a venturi throat involves greater energy coupled with inferior results.

Another significant advantage of the gas reacting apparatus of the present invention, particularly in comparison with systems of the prior art, is its ability to accommodate a high turn-down ratio when the flow of the gas stream is decreased because of decreased boiler load without the need for adjustments by moving parts. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the turndown capability of the gas reacting apparatus is not affected by some mechanical limitation. In the gas reacting apparatus of the present invention, the interfacial area is not dependent on the gas flow rate or the pressure drop. Hence, the solute gas removal efficiency increases with reduction in gas flow. One method to regulate make-up feed rate is by controlling the effluent pH. Here a pH electrode probe activates a signal that regulates the position of control valve 53 to control the rate of make-up feed through line 55. Other make-up feed control system may be used, such as controlling the inlet gas flow and solute gas concentration or controlling the outlet solute gas concentration as the control variable.

Although the gas reacting apparatus has been described with reference to single orifice spray nozzles creating separate spraying zones, it is desirable and practical in large scale applications where conduits of large diameter are used to substitute for the single spray nozzles with a multiple orifice nozzle (i.e. a cluster nozzle) with a combined spray pattern which substantially covers the cross-section of the conduit in order to obtain maximum effectiveness and space utilization. A schematic view of portion of the conduit illustrating a cluster nozzle incorporated into one contact zone is shown in FIG. 3.

The apparatus 10 of the present invention also comprises a low speed, motor driven fan 30 downstream from the last spray nozzle 14. The fan 30 is connected to the outlet of the conduit 12. In particular, fan 30 is of the radial-blade centrifugal type and comprises a shaft 32 having a bladed wheel 34 fixed thereto, the shaft and the bladed wheel being coaxially positioned or supported in a volute casing 36. In particular, fan wheel 34 (impeller) comprises a disc shaped member 37 fixed to the shaft 32, a plurality of blade members 38 extending from the disc 37 and equally-spaced around the shaft 32, and an annular rim 39 fixed to the edges of blades 38 and disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the disc 37. This type of structure, as shown in FIG. 1, was found to be self-cleaning and particularly suitable for severe duty. Other impeller types, such as the forward curved, backward curved or inclined structures, may be used but are not considered to be as suitable as the simple radial-bladed fan illustrated.

The casing of the fan 30 is formed to include an inlet 40 having an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of annular element 39. Inlet 40 is connected to the open end of conduit 12, and an annular joint 41 is provided to seal the connection. The fan opening preferably should be sized to match the size of the conduit or vice versa. However, a tapered inlet 40 or a conduit gradually growing smaller toward the inlet of the fan 30 can also be employed, causing the compressible part of the gas stream to speed up, either at the hub of the fan or in the conduit while the incompressible part of the gas stream, i.e. "fly ash" and liquid droplets, slows down, relative to the velocity of the gas. The increase in the relative velocity between the two phases results in lower gas phase resistance and thus better scavenging action against solute gas by liquid droplets. Also, the larger differences in velocities of the liquid droplets and the gas occur in such tapered inlet caused impaction and results in better scrubbing action against particulates. Another method to improve the turbulent mixing at the inlet to the fan is by the use of variable guide vanes to impart pre-rotation to the incoming gas stream in an opposite direction to that of the impeller rotation.

The fan drive shaft 32 is connected to the drive means in the form of an electric motor 42 for rotating shaft 32 and fan wheel 34 at a relatively low speed. The motor also includes suitable means 43 for maintaining the speed in a desired range. Fan 30 also includes means in the form of an gas exhaust passage from fan 30. Exhaust passage 44 is at the upper portion of casing 36 as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4 and is connected to one end of an output duct 46 for exhausting clean gas from the apparatus. The connection of passage 44 to duct 46 is sealed by a joint 47. Fan 30 further includes means in the form of an opening 48 provided in volute casing 36 at the lower end, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4, for removing or collecting sprayed liquid and particulate matter separated from the gas stream. Opening 48 is in fluid flow communication with a relatively short conduit or passage 52, disposed t0 generally vertically into a sludge trap in the form of an open top tank 54. In slurry-based operation, the tank preferably should include an agitator means (not shown in FIG. 1) to keep the solids in suspension. The tank 54 preferably should include absorbing/reacting liquid 56 up to a level above the bottom of the tube 52. In some cases, it may be desirable to exhaust both the clean gas and the absorbing/reaction-liquid from the same exhaust passage 44 for subsequent separation. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 5.

The distance between the last spray nozzle 14 and inlet to the fan 30 is not critical when the nozzle is countercurrently-oriented to the main gas stream flow. However, in applications where the nozzle is directed cocurrent to the gas stream flow, a minimum distance upstream from the intake of the fan 30 generally is required to permit the conically-shaped spray to fully develop and fill completely the cross-section of the conduit 12. In general, a distance of four feet or less has been found to be satisfactory.

The fan 30 also provides means to withdraw and move the gas stream and to overcome the pressure losses across the apparatus. In the fan, there is provided turbulent mixing and additional residence time plus environment for continued absorption and effective coalescence of the liquid droplets and their removal from the system. Much turbulence can also be effected in countercurrent operation as oppositely moving liquid droplets suspended in an atomizing gas and the main gas stream come together and the liquid droplets are forced to reverse direction and to pass through at least two spray contact zones formed by two or more spray nozzles.

The liquid-laden gas is drawn into the vortex of the slowly-turning fan 30 in the direction indicated by arrow 62 from which the solute gas-laden droplets and the collected particulate matter exit into the the liquid or sludge trap provided by opening 48 at the bottom of fan 30, as viewed in FIG. 1. Clean gas and some entrained droplets not removed by the fan, exit through the fan exhaust opening 46. The majority of the liquid droplets first coalesced in the vortex created by the fan 30 grow in size and then impinge and constantly coat the fan blades 34, to form a layer of coalesced liquid and solids that adheres to the rotary fan blades and is separated from them mostly on the edges of the blades by the effects of centrifugal force, moving outwards in so doing so as to form an attendant annular coarse spray zone to further remove solute gas and particulate matter. The liquid droplets adhering to the blades run over the blades, washing them of collected particles.

The particulate matter and solute gas-laden liquid is collected as it reaches the fan housing 36 and draws by gravity into a sump 54 through a sealed drain 50. Because the impeller 34 and the fan casing 36 are not coaxially aligned, the annular space between the impeller and the fan casing increases toward the exhaust opening, thereby preventing any blockage and interference with the clean gas throughput capacity by the sprayed liquid. Within the sprayed annular zones formed as a result of centrifugal force imparted on the liquid coating the blades the main gas stream that has been agitated by the impeller 34 comes into intimate contact with the reacting liquid discharged from the blades 34, so that for all practical purposes, additional removal of solute gases remaining in the gas stream continues to take place.

The flow of clean gas with some entrained liquid droplets not removed by the fan, continues through the exhaust ducting 46 in the direction of arrow 64, from which it can be discharged directly to the atmosphere or into an entrainment separator for final removal of the entrained liquid droplets. It was found that the fan, upon rotating forward, can separate 85 to 90% of the liquid droplets suspended in a gas stream while backward rotation can separate some 95% of the suspended liquid. Therefore, for gases containing heavy dust loadings or where a higher overall removal efficiency is required, a backward turning fan normally is recommended, although the lower flow rate and static pressure may necessitate either a larger fan or a booster fan in the system.

The provision of the fan, which constitutes an integral part of the gas reacting apparatus, makes it possible to use the same elements that serve to move the gas and coalesce the liquid droplets also to provide the turbulent mixing, additional residence time plus mass transfer areas for continued absorption of solute gases and removal of particulate matter from the gas that is to be treated.

The entrainment separator 70 shown in FIG. 4 to which the clean gas is discharged from the fan 30 is used to separate entrained liquid not separated by the fan 30. Typically, a Chevron-type separator which may be followed by a special mist eliminator packing (Kimre preferred) both contained in the same housing were found sufficient to clean the gas of any suspended liquid. The clean gas then is discharged to the atmosphere via duct 72 at 100% relative humidity, but virtually free of liquid water content.

A fresh make up of reacting medium feed is added to a recirculation tank 54 through line 55. From the tank 54, the scrubbing material is drawn through a pump 17 and is introduced into the atomizing spray nozzles 14. Reacting liquid recovered from the clean gas by the fan 30 and the entrainment separator 70 is returned to tank 54 for reuse, while spent scrubbing liquid is discharged through line 57.

Since gas flow in the gas reacting apparatus 10 is unrestricted, pressure drops are low, typically not exceeding 2 inches W.G. This pressure drop is normally picked up by the fan so that typically, the pressure drop across the system, flange to flange, is zero inches W.G. If desirable, the fan can also pick up system pressure drops up to about 6 to 8 inches W.G.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate fan arrangement in which a cyclonic separator 74 is used to effect separation of gas and liquid drawn into the fan 30.

Referring to FIG. 6, there is illustrated therein the application of the present invention to a typical coal- or oil-fired boiler exhaust gas for the removal of SO₂ therefrom.

As seen, the method lends itself to the use of existing ductwork and I.D. fan, depending on the layout of these in an available plant. Constraints of residence time and temperature of a particular application determine whether the existing layout is practical.

As shown in FIG. 6, the gas originating in a flue gas duct 102 from a boiler 100 and exiting gas coolers 104 at temperatures normally ranging up to about 250° C., but not limited to this range, enters a scrubbing area 106 for simultaneous SO₂ and fly ash removal using the procedures described above. Adjacent the inlet of the fan 108 a scrubbing medium is injected countercurrently into the incoming flue gas stream through injection 110 to form at least two separate scrubbing zones covering the cross-sectional area of the duct 112 adjacent to the fan 108 whereby the flue gas is scrubbed. After separation of the suspended liquid from the gas by the fan 108 and a downstream entrainment separator 114 and further reheating by gas heater 116, a clean gas is discharged to the atmosphere through stack 118. Quenching sprays (not shown in FIG. 6) also may be incorporated where the flue gases are hot to serve to cool and saturate the gas stream with water vapour prior to scrubbing.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown therein a perspective schematic view of a double-loop slurry approach to effect better utilization of slow reacting solids in suspension such as limestone or iron oxide. The use of a double-loop slurry procedure offers greater flexibility because extreme operating conditions can be segregated into discrete areas of the double loop system, allowing separate chemical and physical conditions to be maintained. In the double loop slurry procedure illustrated in FIG. 7, a low pH slurry solution contacts the entering gas stream in an initial reacting loop 200 comprising an elongated conduit 202 and a plurality of atomizing spray nozzles 204 centrally disposed and spaced apart from each other in the conduit 202, and adapted to spray slurry into an incoming gas stream whereby some solute gas removal takes place. The slurry-laden gas stream exits from the conduit 202, and enters a hydrocyclone 206 via a tangential inlet 208 and swirls down about the vortex finder. The swirling separated slurry concentrate flows down the cone section to the apex opening 210 which is sealed by a joint to the top of a vertically disposed conduit, the other end of which terminates in a sludge effluent hold tank 212. The slurry-free, partially-clean gas passes upwards through the vortex finder to the outlet 214, then to another conduit 216 which is part of a second reacting loop designed for almost complete removal of the remaining solute gas.

In the second loop, a high pH slurry or solution is contacted with the partially clean gas in the conduit 216, where the bulk of the solute gas removal takes place. The second loop comprises an elongated conduit 216, a plurality of spray nozzles 218 coaxially disposed in series to form a number of reacting zones, a fan 220, an effluent hold tank 222 and an entrainment separator 224. Spent slurry from this loop is discharged to first loop via pump 226 and line 228 where the unused reagent is consumed, thereby proving efficient reagent utilization. Fresh make-up reagent need be added only in the second reacting loop.

This type of design, incorporating two reacting loops in conjunction with the gas reacting apparatus of the present invention, takes advantage of the concept of contacting a gas stream containing the highest solute gas concentration with the lowest liquor alkalinity in a first loop to effect good reagent utilization and relatively low solute gas removal and the highest liquor alkalinity with the lowest solute gas concentration in a second loop to effect poor reagent utilization, but good solute gas removal. The reduced solute gas removal in the low pH loop (lower alkalinity) is more than offset by improved performance of the high-pH loop (higher alkalinity).

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated therein a preferred contact chamber 300 which effects an initial treatment of the gas stream and provides a feed to a scrubbing apparatus comprising a single spray nozzle 310 spraying liquid into the gas flowing in the duct 312 to a fan 314, operating in the manner described previously. The contact chamber 300 is intended to increase turbulence and residence time of the gas stream in a manner superior to the three spray nozzle arrangement of FIG. 4. This arrangement is of particular significance when a mixture of acid gas and particulates is to be processed with a high level of particulates.

The contact chamber 300 is enlarged in volume in comparison with the duct 312 and comprises a baffle 316 located transversely to the gas flow and a pair of nozzles 318, 320, each arranged to spray liquid at the baffle 316. The contact chamber 300 is able to remove over 90% of the particulates contained in the entering gas stream in line and the resulting slurry is conveniently drained, usually continuously, from the lower portion of the chamber 300 by line 322.

It may be necessary to agitate the liquor contained in the lower portion of the chamber to maintain particulates in suspension to facilitate removal of the slurry, especially if large quantities of particulates are removed from the contact chamber relative to the amount of liquid used therein.

For removal of fly ash and sulfur dioxide from a coal-fired boiler, water sprays from nozzles 318 and 320 may be used in the contacting chamber 300, which would remove substantial amounts of fly ash but only minor quantities of sulfur dioxide. The solids may be separated from the slurry removed by line 322 by thickening and/or filtration and thereafter sent to landfill. The aqueous phase from such separation, which is acidic from the dissolved SO₂, may be recycled with make-up to the contacting chamber nozzles or may be made basic and used as make-up liquor for the SO₂ removal stage at the nozzle 310. The nozzle 310 is fed with a basic aqueous solution to remove the gaseous SO₂ in the duct 312 downstream of the contacting chamber 300.

Alternatively, a basic solution may be fed to the nozzles 318, 320, which has the effect of removal of larger quantities of SO₂ in the chamber 300, so that lesser quantities are required to be removed in the duct 312. If longer residence times are required, a second contact chamber may be used and thereby enhance SO₂ removal.

It may be desirable under some circumstances to employ an entrainment separator between the contact chamber 300 and the nozzle 310 to assist in maintaining the specific conditions conducive to each stage.

Any particulate material remaining in the gas stream following the contact chamber 300 and entering the scrubber section at nozzle 310 is removed from the gas stream along with the SO₂. Thickening or filtration of the resulting scrubbing liquor separates out the solids. For the case where a water-soluble scrubbing agent is used, for example, sodium hydroxide or sodium sulfite, the filtered solution may be contacted with a hydrated lime slurry in a conventional dual alkali process with the basic sodium sulfite being returned to the nozzle 310.

An alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 9, in which the inlet pipe 321 is in a vertically-downward orientation, with the nozzle 318 again located in the entrance to the chamber 310', where space constraints do not permit the normal horizontal flow. An optional additional nozzle 324 may be provided on the downstream side of the baffle 316 for additional scrubbing, as required, both in chamber 310 and 310'.

EXAMPLES

The following specific Examples illustrate the use of the gas reacting apparatus of the present invention for the purpose of removing SO₂ from synthetic gases by NaOH and NH₃ aqueous solutions and a lime slurry containing MgO.

EXAMPLE I

This Example illustrates the use of the gas reacting apparatus of FIG. 1 for the purpose of removing SO₂ from a synthetic gas stream containing about 1100 ppm SO₂, 21% V O₂ and the balance nitrogen, by absorption into aqueous NaOH solution of sufficient concentration of active sodium alkalinity.

In this type of removal, absorption accompanied by chemical reaction takes place between the SO₂ and NaOH to form soluble sodium-based sulfite, bisulfite and sulfate compounds, which effectively traps SO₂ in the solution. With the caustic system having an initial active sodium concentration of 0.3M (pH 12.4), a liquid- to-gas ratio of 1.0 USG per 1000 acf of gas treated and a ratio of active molar concentration of sodium to moles of SO₂ inlet of 1.2:1, 99% SO₂ removal was effected. To effect the same degree of SO₂ removal but at a lower pH of 6.2, a L/G ratio of 4.75:1 was required.

When the concentration of the aqueous NaOH solution was increased to 0.5M active Na (pH 12.5), a liquid-to-gas ratio as low as 0.5 USG per 1000 acf of gas treated was required to operate the reactor to effect 99% SO₂ removal. These results were obtained by using three spray nozzles in series to form three separate reacting zones within a single conduit. The nozzles were oriented countercurrently to the gas stream flow. The pressure drop across the conduit was less than 2 inches W.G. during these tests.

EXAMPLE II

This Example further illustrates the use of the gas reacting apparatus of FIG. 1 for the removal of SO₂ from synthetic gas stream containing about 1100 ppm SO₂, 21% V O₂ and the balance nitrogen, by scrubbing with an ammoniacal solution.

The SO₂ removal efficiency averaged well above 95% which was maintained at this level as long as the NH₃ -to-SO₂ feed stoichiometry was higher than 1.9:1. With an NH₃ -to-SO₂ feed stoichiometry of from 1.8 to 2.0:1, the effect of liquid flow rate on SO₂ removal over the range of liquid rates of 0.005 to 0.5 USGM (corresponding to a L/G ratio range from 0.17 to 1.15) was observed to be minor and in general high removal efficiencies were obtained ranging from 95 to 99%.

In these tests, the ammonia gas feed to the system was introduced with the atomizing gas (air) into three pneumatic, dual-fluid nozzles coaxially disposed in series in a conduit and using recycled scrubbing liquor as the liquid phase. It was observed that the high turbulence, swirling and pressure conditions prevailing at the nozzles enhanced substantially the chemisorption of the ammonia in the sprayed liquid phase.

In this method of ammonia injection, there was also evidence of substantial suppression of a plume (commonly associated with ammonia scrubbing operations) exiting the apparatus in all of the tests so conducted and it may have been due to the manner in which the gaseous ammonia was admitted to the system.

The Table below shows the SO₂ removal efficiency obtained as a function of the reactor outlet pH and NH₃ /SO₂ stoichiometry employed at an L/G of about 1.0 USG per 1000 acf of gas treated.

                  TABLE                                                            ______________________________________                                         NH.sub.3 /SO.sub.2 Stoichiometry                                                             Reactor pH SO.sub.2 Removal Efficiency                           ______________________________________                                         1.09          3.9        55                                                    1.24          5.4        81                                                    1.52          6.6        92                                                    1.89          7.4        95                                                    2.00          8.5        99                                                    ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE III

This Example further illustrates the use of the gas reacting apparatus of FIG. 1 for removal of SO₂ from a synthetic gas stream using a lime slurry containing MgO. In this case a dolime assaying 35.9 wt% Ca and 20 wt% Mg in the form of a finely divided powder, was slaked to give a slurry of some 1.9 wt% solids loading.

A synthetic gas stream containing about 1200 to 1400 ppm SO₂ and 21% V oxygen was produced at the rate of 550 to 650 acfm by adding SO₂ gas from cylinders to the inlet air stream. The temperature of the gas was ambient.

The system was operated in a recirculating mode during which continuous addition of make up dolime slurry was added at the rate of 0.32 lb/min for 145 minutes to provide for the required stoichiometric 5 amount of alkalinity and to maintain the recycled tank pH at a prescribed level of between 6.0 and 7.0. Under such pH conditions, it was found that a high concentration of dissolved alkalinity (present as magnesium sulfite) in the reacting liquor occurred, resulting not only in a well-buffered reacting solution but also in a scale-free operation of high reliability.

SO₂ removal of 95 to 97% was achieved with the gas reacting apparatus at gas-to-liquid ratio of 4.5 gal/10³ acf. This scrubbing efficiency remained close to the above values for the duration of the test.

Operating experience with the gas reacting apparatus of FIG. 1 using different commercially available reacting agents has shown that, for most of the systems studied, under optimal pH conditions and reagent concentration, an L/G of only 1 to 5 USG per 1000 acf of gas treated appears to be adequate to maintain uniformly and consistently high SO₂ removal. For reactive systems, such as the sodium and ammonia-based systems, the apparatus provides excellent SO₂ gas removal in excess of 99% and, if necessary, also efficient simultaneous removal of particulate matter in excess of 99.6%, and yet permitting a liquid-to-gas ratio in the range from 0.17 to 0.5 USG per 1000 acf of gas treated.

This low L/G ratio requirement employed by the gas reacting apparatus of the invention should not only reduce both capital and operating costs to a fraction of the costs related to traditional removal devices, but should also enable easy integration into flue gas ductwork of existing oil or coal-fired boilers due to its compact size. As shown particularly in FIG. 6, the apparatus of the invention can be configured to easily meet site requirements.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

In summary of this disclosure, the present invention relates to the gas/liquid, gas/liquid/solid and gas/gas/liquid mass transfer art and more particularly to an improved method and gas reacting apparatus for wet mass transferring of solute gases from process gas streams into a liquid or slurry reacting medium, wherein the mass transfer operation may be a purely physical phenomenon or may involve solution of the material in the absorbing liquid or slurry, followed by reaction with one or more constituents in the absorbing liquid or slurry medium.

The improvement provides an apparatus in which accelerated absorption and reaction of solute gases can be effected as a result of the large interfacial surface area for mass transfer, plurality of reaction zones, intimate contact, increased residence time and turbulent mixing prevailing therein.

While an improved apparatus and method have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

What we claim is:
 1. A method for wet mass transferring at least one solute gas from a process gas stream into a reacting medium, comprising:(a) passing a gas stream containing at least one solute gas through an elongate conduit having an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom and into a vortex of a slowly-turning fan operating at a relatively low speed sufficient to move the gas along the conduit into the fan; (b) injecting a liquid reacting medium capable of absorbing said at least one solute gas directly into said gas stream under an atomizing gas pressure of about 20 to about 100 psi from a plurality of dual fluid spray nozzles coaxially disposed in series in said conduit and spaced apart by a distance sufficient to form a spray pattern from each of said nozzles filling homogeneously the cross-section of said conduit without substantially overlapping each other and containing liquid droplets ranging in size from about 5 to about 100 microns, thereby to form a plurality of contact spray zones whereby mass transfer of said at least one solute gas into said reacting medium is carried out in a very efficient way due to the large interfacial surface area for mass transfer, turbulent mixing and relatively long residence time generated therein; (c) simultaneously mass transferring said at least one solute gas to the reacting medium and separating entrained liquid reaction medium containing the solute gas from clean gas stream in said fan, wherein agglomerated liquid reacting medium impinges on and adheres to and coats blades of the fan to form a coalesced layer of liquid that is separated from the blades by the effects of centrifugal forces moving outwards in so doing, so as to form an attendant annular spray zone of relatively larger droplets for continued mass transfer, the droplets upon impingement on the fan casing being coalesced and removed by gravity from the fan; (d) removing any agglomerated droplets contained in the gas discharge from the fan with an entrainment separator; and (e) discharging the clean gas stream separated from said liquid reacting medium to atmosphere.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said liquid reacting medium is injected countercurrently to the gas stream flow.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said solute gas is sulfur dioxide.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein said reacting medium is an aqueous alkaline solution.
 5. The method of claim 3 wherein said reacting medium is a sodium-based solution sprayed at a rate of from 0.1 to 5 USG per 1000 acf of gas treated.
 6. The method of claim 3 wherein said reacting medium is an ammonia-based solution sprayed at a rate of from 0.1 to 3 USG per 1000 acf of gas treated.
 7. The method of claim 3 wherein said reacting medium is an aqueous alkaline slurry solution.
 8. The method of claim 3 wherein said reacting medium is a metal oxide based slurry solution.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein gas stream contains solute gases and particulate matter.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein simultaneous removal of both solute gases and particulate matter are effected.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein said gas stream contains sulfur dioxide and fly ash.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein removal of both sulfur dioxide and fly ash are effected to a degree of from 95 to 99.5%.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein said gas pressure is about 25 to about 55 psi.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the atomizing gas is air.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein said spray droplets have a size ranging from about 5 to about 30 microns.
 16. The method of claim 1 utilized to effect removal of SO₂ from the off-gases emanating from a coal-fired boiler by employing an aqueous lime slurry as said reacting medium to remove fly ash, unreacted lime and reacted lime plus residual SO₂ simultaneously to a substantial degree.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein said gas stream contains solute gases and particulate matter and, prior to said first reacting loop system, the gas stream is passed through a contact chamber wherein the gas stream is contacted with an aqueous contact medium which removes solute gases and particulate matter from said gas stream.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein said reacting medium is one in which said at least one solute gas is absorbed without any accompanying chemical reaction.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein said reacting medium is one in which said at least one solute gas is absorbed and is chemically converted by the reacting medium. 